1837] 



F A R M E R S' REGISTER. 



301 



In coimlniflinn, llie saviiijx will be, inimcnpf.. 

 In salety niid ilLirabiiiiy, tl\nrecan he no compari- 

 s.n). All llie clisaifreoable and dangerous acoi- 

 (leiMs, loo, by sleaiii, are at once removed. There 

 i.-; no noit:e — nosinoivc — no whizzinir olstcani — no 

 buisiin^i' of boiler^^. The most irresistible ol' all 

 nnslerious and wonderliil aijenls of nature ope- 

 rates its miraeles in perleei silence and repose. 

 The same lerrible element that is seen in the 

 most vivid and appalliiiif Hash of liijhtninir — the 

 same that awes us ni the roliinir thunder — that in 

 the dreaded ihun.ierboll topples down the proud- 

 est turrets, and the strongest spires Irom their gid 

 dy hei<rhls — or uproots Irom th(>ir l()undations the 

 firmest walls — the huirest oidvs — and the most 

 impreirnable l()rlresses — is here seen chained and 

 euiidued, like the <xaliey-slave at hia oar, labonn<i: 

 peacefully and unresist iuirjy in any occupation 

 that human insrenuity and caprice may assign to 

 it. \Ve do not speak of what may be, but what 

 is already accomplished. Yes — in the country of 

 Franklin — who first drew the lightning down 

 Irom the clouds, and pla\'ed with it in his hands 

 — at tiie distance of little more than half a centu- 

 ry — have two natives oi" the same soil, been the 

 first to convert the same great element to a uselul 

 and humble servant of mardiind. In the view of 

 this sublime result — if we may justly say of 

 Fratdilin, ^[fulvien eripuii ccbIo,''' we may almost 

 say with equal justice of these inventors, that 

 they have learned how we may 



'Wield these eleineiits, 



"And arm us with the force of all their rej^ions." 



Fven, as we have before observed, if no great- 

 er power were attainable than what they are now 

 daily exhibiting — what we had ourselves the other 

 day the pleasure of seeing in full and triumphant 

 operation — they have invented a machine, which 

 is capable of being applied more economically to 

 a vast variety of manufacturing purposes than 

 any other known power. For goldsmiths' and 

 silversmiths' lathes — for silk and other reels — for 

 cotton spindles, for an infinite variety of polishing 

 purposes, for glass cutters, for ivory turners, &c. 

 &c., it is an invaluable power. In illustration of 

 this, we may mention the fact that a goldsmith of 

 this city who witnessed the operation of the smaller 

 machine, offered the proprietors i^25 for it, lor his 

 own manufacturing purposes. Such machines, 

 i( is supposed, might be constructed for five or six 

 dollars. The larger machine makes from 1000 to 

 1200 revolutions per minute. 



At the same time, in announcing these brilliant 

 results already attained by our ingenious and me- 

 ritorious fellow citizens, we desire to impress upon 

 the attention of intelligent capitalists, that to pat 

 this motive power into operation, upon a scale 

 commensurate with the public wishes and expec- 

 lion. it is necessary that the remaino- shares of the 

 200 which are offered for sale, should be taken tip, 

 and the principle will then be at once put into 

 operation upon a scale which will satisfj' the 

 most incredulous. Surely, whm they reflect upon 

 the vast importance of the results to be obtained, 

 and now within reach, they will not hesitate to 

 come forward and take some few shares in an un- 

 dertaking which promises so rich a harvest of 

 profit, as well as so incalculable a benefit to our 

 country and mankind in general. The whole in- 

 terest in the iuvenlioa now secured by patent in 



liiis country and (J real IJritain, and arranged lobe 

 secured in the rest of JOuro[)e, is to be the pro- 

 perly of the share-holders who now engage in 

 the undertaking. The two liundred shares out 

 of 3000 in which it is divided, now olft-red lo 

 the public, are only intended lo furnish capital 

 enough lo make an ample experiment, and no 

 more will be ollered until thai shall have been 

 thoroughly done. E. Williimis, es(|., the agent 

 and trustee of the proprietors, has made alrerady 

 iireat progress in perfecting these arrangements; 

 but an ailequate capital, l()r the contemplated ex- 

 jieriment on a larire scale, will refjuire the sale 

 of the whole 200 shares. When that has been 

 accomplished, if the result is salisfactorj', the val- 

 ue of the stock, will, of course, be enhanced in a 

 |)roporlioh which we need not now calculate. But 

 at all events, enough has already been establish- 

 ed of the utility, as we said before, of this inven- 

 tion Ibrdifierent manuiiu-turiiig purposes, to make 

 the stock valuable, if up greater power should be 

 gained. 



If the rough estimate we have formed, of the 

 power of the machine we saw in operation, be any 

 where near correct, and the increase is only in 

 strict proportion to the increase of proportions, 

 we know of no power in use capable of exerting 

 an equal force within the same dimensions. — 

 Our estimate is based upon what we saw it actu- 

 ally perlbrm, and we rate it below what others 

 who have witnessed it, have supposed it to be in 

 reality. 



At all events, this successful application of the 

 mysterious power of galvanism to mechanical 

 purposes, forms a most remarkable era in the his- 

 tory of sciences and mechanical skill. We re- 

 gret that the numerous demands upon our col- 

 umns prevent us fi-om giving various calculations 

 and descriptions more in detail, which would tend 

 to elucidate the vast importance of this subject to 

 the community. Those, however, who feel dis- 

 posed to take an interest in the enterprise, and to 

 hasten its application to navigation on a scale that 

 may tesh its practicability in the fullest manner, 

 may easily avail themselves ofa personal inspection 

 and examination, upon applying to the a<rent of 

 the proprietors, at his office. 76 William Street. 

 The explanations given by Mr. Cook himself, 

 will enable them to duly appreciate the ingenuity 

 and power which are beautil'ully illustrated in the 

 model we have viewed with so much pleasure. 



REMARKS ON OVERSKKRS, AND THE PRO- 

 PER TREATBIENT OF SLAVES. 



To the Editor of tlic Faririprs' Register. 



Fredertcksbarg, August 5th, 1837. 



Some of the contributors to your periodica' 

 are advocating a system of farmintr, so far as jt 

 refers to our slaves, without the aid of overseer^ 

 — substituting a scheme of pecuniary rewards ac- 

 cording to merit, and withholding them lor want 

 of it. On small farms, when the owner is an 

 active energetic man, he may manage his con- 

 cerns well enough without aid; but on farms of 

 SOO acres, or more, I ihink he will find it a diffi- 

 cult task to manage his negroes unless assisted by 

 an overseer. 



When neirroes are accustomed to an overseer, 

 and you dispense with the services of one, they 

 7iiust be exposed to a great deal of temptation, far 



